Fayette man pleads guilty to 2010 rape, murder

In this Aug. 24, 2010 file photo, a memorial for Patricia Adair hangs on a fence near the spot where the 55-year-old mother was found slain. Kenneth Ray “Rudy” Fluker, 41, pleaded guilty to killing Adair in Fayette County Circuit Court Man today, when a capital murder trial had been scheduled to begin.

Staff File Photo

By Stephanie TaylorStaff Writer

Published: Monday, February 11, 2013 at 4:50 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, February 11, 2013 at 4:50 p.m.

A Fayette man avoided a potential death sentence by pleading guilty to the 2010 rape and murder of a woman.

In this Aug. 24, 2010 file photo, a memorial for Patricia Adair hangs on a fence near the spot where the 55-year-old mother was found slain. Kenneth Ray “Rudy” Fluker, 41, pleaded guilty to killing Adair in Fayette County Circuit Court Man today, when a capital murder trial had been scheduled to begin.

Staff File Photo

Kenneth Ray “Rudy” Fluker, 41, pleaded guilty to killing Patricia Adair, 55, in Fayette County Circuit Court on Monday, when a capital murder trial had been scheduled to begin.

Fluker attacked, robbed and killed Adair as she walked home from a late night shift at the Fayette Chevron on Aug. 14, 2010. He pleaded guilty to the two-count indictment of murder during the commission of a robbery and murder during the commission of a rape. He will serve a life sentence in prison with no possibility of parole.

“All homicide trials are tough and emotional for the victim’s family and the defendant’s family,” said attorney Shelly Standridge, who represented Fluker. “It is more stressful on the defendant’s family when the death penalty is a possible punishment. A guilty plea takes the death penalty off the table and hopefully gives everyone involved a chance to heal.”

Attorneys will present evidence against Fluker on Tuesday, in what’s referred to as a “mini-trial,” required by Alabama’s capital punishment law.

Fluker had been a standout running back for Fayette County High School with college prospects, but lost any chance of furthering his playing career when he dropped out of school during his senior year in 1991.

Court records show he was arrested on various charges regularly until 2006. The most serious accusation, aside from the murder charges, was a sodomy charge that was dropped before it reached the circuit court level.

He spent nine months and 29 days in a state prison after a 2001 guilty plea to possession of a controlled substance.

Fluker has been held with no bond at the Fayette County Jail since his arrest on Sept. 10, 2010.